A long-forgotten cemetery

SHARON — It was a grave situation and nothing was being done about it. So Glenn Dennis decided to take matters into his own hands and clean up a long-neglected cemetery.

Earlier this spring, Dennis, who has been active in discussions with the town over the East Side Cemetery fund, was told by Ray Aakjar about an abandoned cemetery at the end of Tichnor Road.

“I knew about the cemetery for a long time; my father told me about it,� Aakjar said. “I don’t know why it has been neglected for so long. It’s just kind of been forgotten.�

Dennis set about reviving the property, cleaning up layers of trees, brush, leaves and branches that have accumulated on the stones through the years.

“At first I saw three or so stone markers, but as I cleaned it up I came across 30 stone markers,� Dennis said.

Only one of the gravestones had any markings on it: “In memory of Mr. Mark Roberts. Died Feb. 17, 1767, in ye 84 yr of age.�

Aakjar started searching for information that might shed some light on who was interred in the cemetery.

He found a book entitled, “Burying Grounds of Sharon, Connecticut, Amenia and North East, New York� by Laurence Van Alstyne, published in 1903.

The book lists the cemetery as the original burying ground of the Ellsworth Society. It says that, even as far back as 1903, the cemetery was being neglected.

“A forest of trees now covers the old place of burial, among which the rows of graves yet show,� Alstyne wrote.

“It would be interesting to know the names of these silent sleepers, but for that we must wait till the graves are opened and the dead arise.�

Almost 107 years after Alstyne’s book was published, the mystery of who is buried at the cemetery still remains.

“They might have been farmers, or they might have been charcoalers,� Dennis said.“Honestly, I don’t know who these people are.

“And there is a creepy side to all of this because someone dug up half of these graves,� he added.

In any case, Dennis said he would be happy to hear from anyone with information about the land, and any history of the people who are buried at the cemetery.

 â€œI really thought about how terrible it is that this hasn’t been taken care of in so long. This is Sharon history,â€� Dennis said.

“Maybe no one wants to claim the cemetery, because, if they did, they would have to take care of it.�

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